Horseshoe.



W. S. MCCRACKEN.

HORSESHOE.

APPLICATION FILED sEPT.2I. 1914.

1,177,958. A Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

[UNTTED sTxTns PATENT raten.

WILLIAM S. MCCRACKEN, OF JOLIET, ILLINOIS.

HORSESHOE.

Specification of Letters Patent. i Patented Apr. 4:, 1916.

Application led September 21, 1914. Serial No. 862,655.

To all Lwhom it may Concern:

Be it known that l, VILLIAM S. MC-

kCnxcnnx, citizen of the United States, re-

of which the following is a full, clear, con-y cise, and exact description.

My invention relates to horse-shoes, and its object is to provide a horse-shoe having removable calks which can be quickly and easily replaced when worn, and in which the calks are rigidly and securely attached to the shoe.

It frequently happens that a horse so shod as to meet ordinary requirements will have to be re-shod to meet some sudden and unusual condition, as for example in the case ot' a sudden freeze whereby the road becomes so slippery that a horse shod with shoes having blunt calks cannot secure a lirm footing. t is customary in such cases to take the horse to a blacksmith shop where the shoes are removed and replaced after being sharpened or new shoes substituted for the removed ones. At such times the unusual demand for the services of the blacksmith causes long delay in getting a horse re-shod, and it is the purpose of my invention to make it possible for the driver of a horse to quickly and easily substitute sharp calks for the blunt or worn ones without removing the shoes from vthe horses feet, thereby rendering a trip to the blacksmiths shop unnecessary and also thereby saving the time ordinarily required for getting the horse re-shod.

My invention contemplates a horse-shoe provided with an opening or socket and a calk having a shank which is received by the opening or socket, the latter having a lateral recess for receiving a laterally extending projection of the shank. A wedge or key cooperates with the shoe and the calk toV hold the calk securely in place.

My invention may be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of the wearing face of a horse-shoe embodying my invention; and Figs. 2 and 3-are sections on the line 2-2 and 3-3, respectively, of Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The horse-shoe 1 at its toe and at each of its heels is provided with a slot or opening 2 which is surrounded by the wearing i'aceot1 the shoe and which may extend through the shoe from one face otl the shoe to the other and provides a socket tor the reception of the shank 3 of a calk 4C. The shank 3 projects from the body portion of the calk intermediate the ends thereof, and when it is insertedin the socket the opposite ends of the calk are seated upon the wearing face of the shoe. The sCcket 2 at its linner end, that is upon the side of the shoe opposite the wearing tace, has a laterally extending recess 5 for the reception 'of a Vlug 6 which projects laterally from the end of the shank of the calk. The shank is, as it were, bent to provide a hook, that is the lug 6 is in hooked engagement with the wall 7 of the recess 5. By slightly tilting the calk inward its shank can be seated in the socket provided therefor. The calk is then securely held in place by a wedge or -key S. A keyway Jfor the wedge is provided between a shoulder 9 yand the face of the calk. rhe shoulder 9 is provided on the wearing face of the shoe and beneath the recess 5. For the purpose of holding the wedge 8 in place,

the calk may be provided with a shoulder 10, as shown at the toe of the shoe in Figs. l and 2, or the shoulder 9 may be undercut as is shown at the heel of the shoe in Figs. l and 3.

The calks are preferably made of hardened steel, and are therefore very durable. The method of locking them to the shoe proper is such that the wear ot the calks does not interfere with the quick removal thereof when it is desired to replace the old with new calks. Such renewal of the calks is a simple matter that does not require the services of a blacksmith.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a horseshoel provided with an opening therethrough surrounded by the wearing face of the shoe, said opening having a lateral recess at its inner end, of a removable'calk having its opposite ends seated upon the wearing face of the shoe and having a shank iitting in said opening, a lug extending laterally from the end of the shank into said recess whereby said calk requires lateral tilting to seat it in said opening. and a removable key for preventing said tilting and hence serving to lock said calk in place.

2. The combination with a horse-shoe provided with an opening surrounded by the Wearing face of the shoe, said opening having a lateral recess at its inner end, of a removable calli having its opposite ends seated upon the wearing face of the shoe and having a shanlr fitting in said opening, a shoulder of said calli, a central lug` extending,- laterally from the bottoni of the shank into said recess, a shoulder upon the Wearing face of the shoe. near said recess, and a Wedge inserted between said parts tending to draw said calli from said opening thereby causing said lug to bear against the wall'of said recess forming a positive lock.

8. The combination with a horse-shoe, of a calli having a shank with a laterallyT bent end, said shoe having an opening in which said shank lits, a shoulder on the Wearing face ofthe shoe, a shoulder on said calk,

and a double Wedging key inserted between said shoulderswvhereby said calli is positively locked against tilting and against Withdrawal.

4. A horse-shoe calli comprising a body i W. S. MCCRACKEN. llitnesses:

ALFRED H. MOORE, GEORGE E. FOLK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner o! Patents, Washington, D.. C, 

